Rockland All-County: Pearl River's Kevin Degnan picked as player of the year

Following one of the most decorated careers in program history, Pearl River's Kevin Degnan was picked as The Journal News' Rockland player of the year.The 6-foot-8 Degnan was named Section 1's "Mr. Basketball" by the Lower Hudson Basketball Coaches Association. He is the only Rockland player to ever receive the honor and is also the only Division I scholarship player in program history. Degnan averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds per game as a senior, including a career-high 43-point effort against Nyack that included his 1,000th career point.Clarkstown South's Matt Backs earned the honor of coach of the year. His Vikings reached the Class AA semifinals and finished the season 19-2 after splitting the league title with Section 1 runner-up Spring Valley.Congrats to all of our All-County picks. For more on Degnan, Backs and the rest of this year's honorees, check out the complete all-county package below:

Story:

The apprenticeship of Kevin Degnan began immediately with his freshman season and raised more than a few eyebrows in the months that followed. At least 6-foot-4 and redheaded, spectators couldn't ignore that the tallest player on an undersized Pearl River team hardly ever played.

Although the experience proved at times frustrating for him, Degnan showed consistent growth right up until the final moments of a decorated senior season. The results are undeniable: He is believed to be the first Division I scholarship player in program history and first Rockland County player ever awarded as Section 1's "Mr. Basketball."

"I'm definitely proud of it all," said the Fairfield-bound forward and Rockland player of the year. "It was all my hard work that I put in over the years being recognized this year. I was really grateful of that and without my coaches and my parents, I don't think it would've happened."

His head coach, Jerry Houston Jr., knew his pupil's potential before the now 6-foot-8 Degnan even entered high school. With his nephew Luke Houston and other key seniors graduating from the 2011 team, Houston Jr. also understood just how vital a cog Degnan was in the program's future.

"We knew when he was going to be a sophomore that he was going to be a starter," Houston Jr. said. "I just wanted him to be around the seniors and see what he could expect in the future."

Those lessons were applied with increasing regularity the last three years. First, Degnan, a former CYO point guard, and his coaches had to adjust to one another -- him dedicating more effort to playing inside, them allowing the program's tallest player in forever to face the rim, handle the ball and shoot jumpers without restriction.

"The second half of his junior year he established himself more in the post," Houston Jr. said. "As his post game came along, the better he shot the ball. I think there was a link there, and his senior year he put those two things together."

Degnan led the county in scoring at 23.0 points per game and led Pearl River with 12 rebounds per contest. He scored his 1,000th point during a torrid 43-point night against Nyack.

The season ended in disappointment for the 13-7 Pirates, but Degnan's selection as "Mr. Basketball" proved to be a testament to his talent.

The typically mellow Degnan even drew on all those freshman-year lessons, ramping up his intensity as he dropped 28.0 points per game in his final five to finish with 1,120 career points.

"I wanted it pretty bad," Degnan said. "A gold ball would've been better, but I'll take Mr. Basketball. I'm just really thankful for what everyone has done for me over the years and thankful to all the coaches who voted for me. This is definitely something I'll never forget."

The rest of the first team:

Rickey McGill, Spring Valley: The 6-foot junior gave an oral commitment to Manhattan College before the season and then lived up to the billing. He averaged a team-best 20 ppg to go with five assists and three steals as the top guard on the Class AA runner-up.

Luke McLaughlin, Tappan Zee: The 6-foot-4 all-section forward thrived in his third season on varsity for the Class A semifinalists. He led the team in scoring (20.5 ppg) and finished second in rebounding (8.0). He continued to show a varied skillset, averaging 3.0 assists and 1.5 blocks.

Kai Mitchell, Spring Valley: The sturdy-but-skilled 6-foot-5 junior was second on the team in scoring (18.5 ppg) and led the county in rebounding at (16.0) and blocks (3.5). He recorded 16 double-doubles and one triple-double, and was perhaps the section's best true post player.

Joe Zayer, Clarkstown South: Although he spent most of his senior season playing off the ball, the 5-foot-11 Zayer proved he was one of the county's top shooters and playmakers, averaging 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals per game for the Class AA semifinalists.

Coach of the YearMatt Backs, Clarkstown South: In just his third season as the head coach, Backs guided the Vikings to a second County Center appearance. In the semifinals, South came within a basket of eventual Class AA runner-up Spring Valley, the only team to beat the Vikings during a 19-2 season. The teams split the league title during the regular season and Backs was voted the Conference 4 coach of the year.